How Russians prepare for exams 😉

P.S. Catch more of my lessons on YouTube!

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This city in the north of Krasnoyarsk Krai has areas where, even in summer, the snow does not have time to melt...! 😲

📽 vk.com/visit_norilsk

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What does the expression “he ate the dog on this one” mean?

If you meet a person who is an expert in something, don’t be surprised if they say about them: «Он на этом собаку съел» (“on na etom sobaku siel” or “he ate the dog on this”)!

Of course, they didn’t eat anyone and they wouldn’t have to. After all, this expression was transformed from the proverb: “He ate a dog, but choked on his tail.” It means that even a person who is capable of coping with even the most difficult task can make a trivial mistake and fail.

In the 19th century, the first part of the proverb became widespread – it began to be used in everyday speech and in literature. For example, the hero of Anton Chekhov’s story says this about his acquaintance: “…the devil knows who he was, but he was a remarkably smart guy and he ate the dog in philosophy.”
English equivalents would be: “To know something like the back of your hand” or “To know the ropes”.

Credit: Kira Lisitskaya (Photo: AnnaStills, Skyhobo/Getty Images)

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A beautiful Altai woman in a national dress! 💃

📽 t.iss.one/matrena_struchkova25

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When Chinese people study Russian at university in their home country, they adopt Russian names.
Why do they do this and where did this tradition come from?

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How do you respond to a Russian when you don't understand what's being said to you?

Tips from foreign students learning Russian. Filmed at the 3rd International Congress of Student Media.

📽 Video by Phadeus Kosinsky Jean P B, Kone Ali, Omar Kefayatoulla

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The annual ‘50 best places for gastronomic tourism’ in 2025 was compiled based on a vote of 500 experts, including restaurateurs and hoteliers. We’ve picked out the main places from the latest ranking and guide.

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How Russian troops once saved the Turkish sultan

The Russian and Ottoman empires had been irreconcilable geopolitical opponents for centuries. They waged brutal wars for dominance over the Black Sea coast, the Caucasus and the Balkans.

The episodes when the Russians and the Turks acted as allies, meanwhile, can be counted on the fingers of one hand. One of them occurred at the turn of 1832-1833.

Sultan Mahmud II was then waging war against his rebellious vassal Muhammad Ali Pasha, the then ruler of Egypt. The Turks were doing extremely poorly and the victorious Egyptian army was rushing towards Istanbul.

The events in the Ottoman Empire worried Tsar Nicholas I greatly. He feared that defeat would lead to its collapse and the strengthening of British and French influence in the region.

In November 1832, the emperor's personal representative, Lieutenant General Nikolai Muravyov, arrived at the Sultan's court and offered him military assistance. And this despite the fact that the last war between the two states had ended only three years earlier.

The sultan hesitated, but, after the defeat of his troops in the Battle of Konya on December 21, he officially asked the tsar to send him a fleet and an army to help.

On February 20, 1833, the Russian squadron entered the Bosphorus and, in March and April, two more joined it. A landing party from the ships then set up camp near the capital.

The appearance of Russian troops and diplomatic pressure from St. Petersburg did their job: Muhammad Ali Pasha halted the offensive and agreed to make peace.

On June 28, 1833, the Russian fleet weighed anchor and headed home to a farewell salute from the Turks.

Credit: Gateway to Russia (Photo: Public domain)

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